Remains of Antarctic Researcher Dennis ‘Tink’ Bell Found After 66 Years

The remains of British meteorologist Dennis ‘Tink’ Bell have been found in Antarctica, 66 years after he vanished in a crevasse accident.

A Polish research team discovered the bones and personal items such as radio equipment, a wristwatch, and a pipe stem in rocks exposed by the retreating Ecology Glacier on King George Island. 

DNA testing by King’s College London confirmed the identity, matching samples from Bell’s surviving siblings.

Bell, who was 25 years old at the time, was working for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which is now the British Antarctic Survey, when he fell through hidden ice while leading a dog sled team on 26 July 1959. 

A rescue attempt failed when his belt snapped as he was being hauled up. His body was never recovered until now.

The remains were transported via the BAS ship Sir David Attenborough to the Falkland Islands, then flown to the UK. 

His family, “shocked and amazed” by the discovery, say the find has brought long-awaited closure.